S.C. Comptroller General resigning after accounting error

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - South Carolina Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom is resigning.

Eckstrom had recently been under scrutiny over a $3.5 billion error by unintentionally exaggerating the state’s cash position by double counting the money sent to colleges and universities.

In Eckstrom’s resignation letter to Governor Henry McMaster, he said in part:

I have never taken service to the state I love or the jobs to which I have been elected lightly, endeavoring to work with my colleagues, from constitutional officers to members of the General Assembly, to be a strong defender of the taxpayer and a good steward of their hard-earned dollars.

You can read the full letter below:

Eckstrom's resignation letter by Marcus Flowers on Scribd

Governor Henry McMaster accepted Ecstrom’s resignation, and thanked him for his years of service to the state.

Governor Henry McMaster accepted the resignation of S.C. Comptroller Richard Eckstrom.(Mary Green/WIS)

Eckstrom’s resignation is effective April 30. In the wake of Eckstrom’s admittance of an error, lawmakers reduced his salary to $1 per year and there were even calls for him to be fired.

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